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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24228628">Just This Once</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rokutagrl/pseuds/Rokutagrl'>Rokutagrl</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Taishiro Week 2018 [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Digimon - All Media Types, Digimon Adventure</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cabins, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Family Vacations, M/M, Prompt: One Week, Sharing a Bed, Taichi is very smitten and I'm indulging myself quite well thank you</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 18:33:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,695</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24228628</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rokutagrl/pseuds/Rokutagrl</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p></p><blockquote>
  <p>"They were being courteous giving us this room," Koushirou explains, moving his laptop bag off the single bed. "Since—" </p>
  <p>"We're a couple," Taichi remembers. It is nice of them, he tells himself. They're being supportive. Not trying to kill him. </p>
</blockquote>Taichi gets invited along on a free vacation with the Izumi family to a quaint little cabin where there promises to be great food, plenty of activity, and sun in the forecast. The catch? The whole family thinks he’s dating Koushirou.<p>Taichi wishes it were true.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Izumi Koushirou | Izzy Izumi/Yagami Taichi | Tai Kamiya</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Taishiro Week 2018 [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/960561</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>74</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Friday Night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Or the one fake dating AU I promised back in 2018</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"This has got to be the most ridiculous thing you have ever done," Yamato decides. Even under his sunglasses, Taichi can feel the heat of his glare. It could rival the sun today, already sitting at the highest point in the sky, without a single cloud in view to obscure it.</p><p>Taichi looks away, frowning. "It's not the <em> most </em>," he protests. Yamato takes a long, audible sip of his iced latte. Nothing in Taichi's memories leap to his defense. </p><p>When they come to the longest patch of shade along the dirt road, Taichi feels their pace shorten to a leisurely, measured gait. Wind races past them, a wonderful reprieve from the heat. August has been brutal. Yamato reeks of several coatings of sunblock, masked ever so faintly by an overdose of cologne. Taichi's nose tickles with the repulsive combination; his iced tea tastes like chemicals just from the smell of it. </p><p>Yamato pins his bangs up against his head with the slide of his sunglasses. Somehow the dark makes his eyes all the more brighter. He kicks at a collection of pebbles on the dirt path. Taichi watches them skitter along, some rolling into the tall, uncut grass on either side of them. "When are you leaving?" </p><p>For a while Taichi doesn't answer. He can hear a mother shouting at her kid for <em> something </em> on the playground nearby. </p><p>"Tonight," he finally shares, tugging at his shirt in quick bursts like it's a fan. Bits of the fabric are already damp with his sweat. </p><p>Yamato stops dead in the path. A jogger who had been catching up on their tails just narrowly leans out of the way to miss bumping against him. Taichi watches her blaze down the pedestrian pathway, his muscles twitching with want to follow the same path, to enter a secret race against the other runners at the park fueled only by the desire to be faster. </p><p>Maybe it's just his instinct to run away, begging him. </p><p><em> It's too hot </em>. </p><p>"I told you it was too late to back out," Taichi mutters, picking back up on their previous pace. Yamato jogs up beside him a moment later and Taichi hates that he feels kind of sorry for how strenuous that must be when the air just tastes like <em> heat.  </em></p><p>"Backing out," Yamato scoffs—<em> wheezes—" </em>is not the point. Have you no sense of self preservation?" </p><p>Taichi can't argue with that. He's been wondering the same thing himself since the moment he woke up, since the memory of his promise had solidified from some fever dream into reality.</p><p>Maybe it was heatstroke.</p><p>Taichi frowns. He knows it wasn't. </p><p>It had, after all, been Koushirou asking. With his eyes so wide on the other side of their video call, it had felt like Taichi was staring down a deer trapped in his headlights. <em> "Just this once," </em> he had pleaded and Taichi just couldn't say <em> no. </em></p><p>Yamato kicks at another collection of pebbles sleeping in their way, his black slacks covered in a layer of dust so thick the fabric looks almost as if it were tip dyed beige. Taichi watches as the stones arc along the air, before sprinkling back to the dirt like a smattering of shooting stars. He wonders if he could make a wish on every single pebble, but he knows he'd only ask for one thing. </p><p>He almost chokes on his iced tea, not preparing for the bath of pseudo chemicals it coats his tongue in. Throwing it out after all the money he spent would only put a worse taste in his mouth and so Taichi takes another long chug.</p><p>"Pretending to date the guy you're in love with <em> is </em> your most boneheaded idea," Yamato doubles down. He shakes his drink, ice shuffling around the barely there liquid. When Yamato sips around his straw it sounds like he's sucking on air. Taichi takes another chug of his own drink and wishes they could switch. "And on vacation with his goddamn family."</p><p>Taichi lets out a long huff. He hates to admit <em>Yamato's</em> <em>right</em>, even if it technically wasn't <em>his </em>idea, so he keeps it to himself, kicking at the ground instead. All it earns him is a blanket of dust on the cuffs of his jeans.</p><p>The line between the shade and the sun is striking. Heat clings around Taichi like a toxic friend welcoming him back, and he wishes he were anywhere else.</p><p><em> Almost </em>anywhere else.</p><p>"Hey," Yamato starts, knocking his shades down over his eyes in a deft swoop. Taichi mourns the sunglasses he had every intention to grab on his way out of the house this afternoon as the light of the sun burns his eyes. "At least I've got a whole week to plan your funeral." </p><p>Taichi feels the edge of his lips twitch into a sardonic half smile. "It's great to have friends you can depend on when it counts." </p><p>Yamato crosses over into him for a moment, their shoulders brushing minutely. "Don't mention it." </p><p>Taichi throws his drink out in the closest receptacle. His tongue feels heavy, like someone bathed it in sunblock. </p><p>"I won't." </p>
<hr/><p>Early evening does little to abate the heaviness of summer. Taichi had hoped they'd leave the mugginess behind in Odaiba, with the exhaust fumes and high rises. It's too cold with the wind of the highway whipping by them to keep the window down completely, but too warm inside the car to keep it shut. Taichi doesn't trust the air conditioner to not burn out <em> again </em>, and so he settles on leaving the window open just a crack. </p><p>Even with little competition from the wind and other traffic, the radio can barely be heard. Taichi only knows what's playing because the station only seems to have the license to just three songs. </p><p>He doesn't ask why they're leaving so much later than the rest of Koushirou's family. Taichi can guess that much himself; an attempt to stave off the inevitable embarrassment and barrage of intrusive questions. A breath of fresh air before the oncoming storm. </p><p>Taichi wishes it would storm, just for the night. It's <em> so hot. </em></p><p>His leg bounces without his permission. "Should we set some, uh, ground rules?"</p><p>Koushirou hums, tapping his fingers on the top of the steering wheel. Taichi hoists his seat back a little bit, watching Koushirou watch the road for a while before the other repeats, "Ground rules," quietly to himself. Just a little bit behind Koushirou's ear is a deep, inset stain Taichi had forgotten about from when Mimi had drunkenly thrown a ketchup-saturated burger at his head. Taichi frowns. He can't remember why. It was probably deserved, he decides begrudgingly.  </p><p>It's weird being the passenger in his own car, but Koushirou had insisted on letting him rest the majority of their ride. Taichi breathes in, tightly. It's a nice thought. </p><p>Koushirou spares him a quick look, almost as if he's alarmed to see someone else in the car. Taichi’s fingers tap the console of his own door, a small impulsive voice in his head telling him it's not too late to tuck and roll. He withdraws his hand, playing with the bridge of his seatbelt instead. </p><p>Koushirou looks back to the road. "What do you suggest?" </p><p>Though it pains him, Taichi suggests, "No kissing?" He tries not to be bothered when Koushirou readily agrees, as if the thought is burning something unpleasant into his mind. </p><p>"Anything that you find congenial," Koushirou decides a second later. "Short of kissing," he adds, "just treat me as any other partner you've had." </p><p>Taichi turns his head to look out the window instead, the suggestion somersaulting in his stomach. Outside the trees and guardrails are nothing more than blurs of color. Taichi makes a game of trying to pin them into their proper shapes until it strains his eyes and makes his head dizzy. </p><p>"What are we going to tell your parents after this week?" He asks as soon as the thought occurs to him. Taichi meets Koushirou's eyes in the rearview mirror.</p><p>"That we weren't compatible in a romantic capacity. Naturally," he adds. </p><p>"Yeah," Taichi drawls out. "Naturally."</p><p>"We'll relay that we worked best as friends." Koushirou tilts his head back just enough to offer Taichi, what he suspects, is supposed to be a reassuring smile. It doesn't work. Taichi just thinks he looks cute, trying to still be attentive to the road <em> and </em>him. "Lay low for a few days," he continues. "Then we proceed as if nothing has changed." </p><p>Sunset stains the sky above them, bright blues just giving way to rose-pinks and burnt-oranges. It looks like someone painting over a used canvas, and Taichi watches the colors bleed towards the horizon through the driver side window. He hates how pretty sunset looks on Koushirou, like the world created it just to softly compliment this boy. </p><p>Taichi feels it when the car starts to roll along the highway slower. "Traffic," Koushirou reports without Taichi having to ask. "Seems we still hit rush hour," he tacks on apologetically. Taichi leans up from the chair just enough to see the forest of red lights glow all at once in front of them. They're still some ways off, but Taichi knows Koushirou is prudent when it comes to literally everything, so he refrains from commenting. </p><p>He lets his head fall back down, the strain in his neck evident only now that he's resting. </p><p>Taichi catches the sun by some far off mountains. He closes one eye, reveling in how the orange-red deathball seems to shift perfectly between the hills at his whim. He tries with his other eye, then back and forth. </p><p>"I never asked," Taichi realizes when the car finally comes to a full rest. For a moment he worries that his words have been swallowed by the scream of emergency vehicles racing towards them until Koushirou hums for him to continue. "But what started all—" Taichi looks up at him for a moment, pursing his lips for the word to come to him. His leg bounces again. "You know, <em> this </em>?" He gestures at the air between them. Koushirou snorts.</p><p>"Our ersatz relationship?" Taichi thinks the sentence would sound best without <em>ersatz</em>—whatever it means— but he makes a noise of agreeance. "My cousin obtained a partner this year." </p><p>Taichi waits. In his peripherals he catches the bright, red lights of the emergency vehicles long before the ambulance comes up beside his car. Koushirou always drives in the slow lane. Taichi doesn't think he even moves to pass other cars. More often he's just content to ride shotgun while Taichi drives. </p><p>He catches Koushirou watching the police cars as they pass, his knuckles on the steering wheel white and straining. </p><p>"It was a calamity," Koushirou recalls, eyes back on the road. His stare looks more pointed, less dutiful. It's been a while since he cut his hair, Taichi realizes. It curls around the shell of an equally reddened ear and Taichi tries not to sound pushy when he asks him to continue. "My aunt started interrogating my mother if everything was <em> okay, </em> if I needed help finding someone because I'm a <em> recluse </em>and never get out." </p><p>Taichi whistles.</p><p>"She means well," Koushirou says in defense, "but she is tenacious when she sets her mind to something." </p><p>"Right," Taichi agrees. He's got a few of those, but he's lucky enough to have a large extended family, that he and Hikaru tend to mostly fly under the radar. </p><p>Koushirou breathes in. He presses off the brake briefly and the car rolls forward before jerking to another stop. Taichi watches his eyebrows knit, or twitch, like Koushirou's still in the middle of an argument with her. </p><p>"My mother knows I have the propensity to like people," Koushirou continues, his cheeks now staining a pleasantly warm red, "so I couldn't lie there." </p><p>Taichi nods along, twisting the seat belt around his hand, then again, and again, until there's no more give. </p><p>"I started getting calls," Koushirou admits. His eyes are almost as wide with terror as they had been the night before. "She was giving out my number to her friends, for any of their interested children." His face pinches. Taichi understands, a bit. If it's not one of their friends, Koushirou will rarely answer his phone, text or otherwise. "She started making all these plans to go to bars during the trip, and then she offered to—" Koushirou swallows tightly. "Telling her I was already in a relationship seemed the only way to appease her." </p><p>Taichi scrunches up his legs and straps the top end of the seat belt around his knees, let's the weight of them pull until the belt fastens around his midsection tighter. "So," Taichi starts, "you told them we were dating?" </p><p>Koushirou hums. "Not," he stops. His one hand falls to the gear shift on the console between their seats. "Not quite. I'd hoped just saying <em> someone </em> was enough, but then they insisted I bring <em> my </em>partner to the family vacation, if my cousin was bringing his and I, well, originally excogitated asking Jyou, but," Koushirou presses his lips into a thin line, "it didn't quite develop that way."</p><p>"Oh," Taichi says intelligently.</p><p>Koushirou lets out a long sigh, as if he'd been holding the breath in this whole time. Taichi looks out his own window, at the dotting of stars already freckling the sky. With everything darkened, he can vaguely see Koushirou's reflection. Taichi frowns.</p><p>"We can turn around," Koushirou says all at once, his head turning towards the rear of the car. On instinct Taichi sits up and looks behind them as well. There's already a line of cars sitting all the way down from where Taichi can see. Koushirou thumbs the button, as if he might actually put the car into reverse and drive them out of there. </p><p>"Koushirou," Taichi starts, putting his hand over the other's until he looks up, dark eyes still wide. </p><p>"We can tell everyone the highway shut down," Koushirou asserts. "Or one of us developed food poisoning—" </p><p>"Koushirou," he repeats, offering a vaguely reassuring smile. "It will be fine." Taichi sends a swift look back over his shoulder, and then a pointed one before them. Koushirou follows his eyes. Taichi squeezes his hand where they're still connected over the gear shift. He grins the best he can. "No matter what, we're going to have a fun week, okay?" </p><p>Koushirou smiles back. The night sky halos around him and Taichi thinks that, maybe, the dark compliments him better because Koushirou looks so bright and ethereal. Taichi hopes Koushirou can't feel the rabbiting of his pulse when their hands are still connected.</p><p>"Thank you," he says, quietly. Taichi only moves his hand when Koushirou shifts the car into neutral, sinking back in his seat as if a weight had been taken from his shoulders. The radio blares loudly, now that it's hitting the first commercial break. Taichi reaches over to turn it off. It's really disconcerting to him, being the passenger.</p><p>"I really mean it," Koushirou enthuses a second later. "I'm very gracious you're here."</p><p>"Yeah?" Taichi says. He hopes his grin doesn't look as dopey as it feels. "That's what—" he pauses—"ersatz boyfriends are for." </p><p>Koushirou laughs. The car in front of them moves forward just a second and Koushirou lifts his foot off the brake to follow along.</p><p>"You are perhaps the world's most superlative, ersatz boyfriend." </p><p>Taichi throws a hand emphatically over his heart. "Thank you," he says, "all of my actual relationships have simply been practice for this moment." </p><p>Koushirou snorts.</p>
<hr/><p>Cement eventually gives way to dirt roads, trees and boulders the only way to mark their journey. The car jitters back and forth on the uneven paths; Taichi worries they'll lose the right wheels when the vehicle jumps over a poorly laid stone. Mother nature is a terrible architect. </p><p>The driveway is rectangular, paved sloppily with pebbles. Rustic, Taichi thinks. Koushirou kills the engine as soon as he slips Taichi's Honda right between the two SUVs already lined up.</p><p>"Looks nice," Taichi comments, slipping carefully out of his side of the car, keeping the door close enough to his body so as not to scrape the black paint of the other. Over the hood of his car, Koushirou settles him with a look. Quietly he repeats, "Looks nice." </p><p>Koushirou beams at him. </p><p>They meet around the trunk, Taichi already curling his fingers under the indent above the license plate, waiting. </p><p>Taichi stares. </p><p>Koushirou stares. </p><p>"You have the keys," Taichi reminds him. He tempers his own laughter as Koushirou startles, almost dropping them from his hands. After a few seconds of him fiddling around with the key fob, the trunk opens with a light <em> thunk </em>. Taichi only lifts it part of the way open. He grabs for the green straps of the laptop bag first and offers it over to Koushirou. "You can go in first," he whispers as Koushirou takes his bag. </p><p>Unsteady on his feet, Koushirou tilts his head as if to question him, and Taichi smiles. He insists, "Go ahead," unable to resist ruffling Koushirou's already untamed hair. His heart twinges when Koushirou does not push away, instead leaning against the weight of Taichi's hand, midnight eyes drifting shut. He looks as if he could rest there, with only Taichi's hand to keep him steady. </p><p>"Thank you," Koushirou says, barely above a breath. </p><p>"Yeah," Taichi answers, retracting his hand. "Get some sleep, I'll bring in the rest." </p><p>He hears the drag of Koushirou's feet along the driveway, disturbing every stone on his way. </p><p>Taichi grabs for the duffel bag Koushirou had helped him fill before they left, and the recycled grocery bag he'd filled with some odd snacks he'd meant to eat on the way and his swim trunks he’d almost forgotten. He checks the trunk to make sure the keys aren't there before frowning. He’d forgotten to take them back. </p><p>He hears the lake before he sees it. Lights from distant cabins along the farther shore ripple infinitely in the dark water. Taichi breathes in and the residual smell of campfire reminds him of summer camp and barbeques and for the first time his chest swells with something other than anxiety. He takes a minute more to admire the scenery until the duffel bag on his shoulder reminds him how late it really is.</p><p>Taichi does his best to be quiet, taking every step up the porch deliberately, trying to pick up his feet— but it's the screen door he doesn't expect to betray him when it recoils back to it's post with a thunderous <em> wham.  </em></p><p>He stands in the front room, stock still, waiting for a hoard of angry Izumi's to come rushing in and reprimand him. Instead only Koushirou turns around the corner, standing in the open concept kitchen just in front of him. He has a finger up to his lips, as if reminding Taichi to keep quiet. <em> Too late.  </em></p><p>"My dad was waiting up for us. He just went to bed," Koushirou relays on a long yawn. Taichi notices he's already changed into a set of pajamas and he tries not to think how <em> adorable </em> he looks in them. Koushirou points somewhere past the wall and tells Taichi, "Our room's that way." </p><p><em> Our room </em> sits heavy in Taichi's stomach. He hadn't really given it thought before this moment as he follows Koushirou down the longest hallway. They'd shared rooms in the past, he has to remind himself, but it <em> feels </em>different somehow. </p><p>His stomach somersaults again when Koushirou opens the door. </p><p>"They were being courteous giving us this room," he explains, moving his laptop bag off the single bed. "Since—" </p><p>"We're a couple," Taichi remembers. It is nice of them, he tells himself. They're being <em> supportive. </em>Not trying to kill him. </p><p>Koushirou smiles back at him over his shoulder, his eyes muddled with sleep. "Bathroom's across the hall," he says and Taichi understands that he's really telling him to <em> get ready </em> in the most polite way he can. </p><p>Taichi shrugs the duffel bag off his shoulder by the side of the door, and tosses the plastic bag next to it. He rummages through for one of his night shirts and tells Koushirou, "I'll be back."</p><p>Koushirou's already tucked into bed when he’s finally finished. Taichi turns out the light by the door. Little bits of light filter in through the barely closed curtains, and it is the only way Taichi finds his way in the dark.</p><p>"I'm sorry," Koushirou breathes out the minute the mattress dips with Taichi's weight. "For dragging you," he trails off for a long while. Taichi watches the ceiling. The fan in the corner of the room is loud. He hopes it becomes white noise. "Dragging you into this," he murmurs out of nowhere. </p><p>Taichi laughs, adjusting on the bed until his cheek touches the pillow, facing the other. </p><p>Moonlight sits lightly on Koushirou's cheeks, elongating every angle of his face. He looks otherworldly sometimes. "I'm kind of glad," Taichi says finally, huffing out the words like he's lost all of his rights to oxygen. "It's rare for you to ask for something like this." Koushirou hums, his eyes fluttering minutely. It sounds like a question so Taichi answers, "Something for yourself." </p><p>Koushirou huffs, a nonverbal protest.</p><p>Taichi laughs. "Go to sleep."  </p><p>Taichi never falls asleep himself. Even with his eyes closed his heart just feels restless in his chest, his mind racing with intangible thoughts. Even with the fan humming in the background it's <em>too hot</em> to feel comfortable.</p><p>Taichi decides that dawn is just as lovely as sunset, when it crests over the distant treeline outside their window and sits gently on Koushirou's cheeks and wonders how Yamato's doing, if his plans for Taichi's funeral are going swimmingly. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Saturday Morning</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It's only the morning of the first day and Taichi's struggling.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I sure hope this isn't boring, once I started thinking of cabin living I just got v nostalgic lmao</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Years of conditioning for soccer has rendered the act of sleeping-in a useless feat for Taichi. That, and the aroma of coffee slowly permeating into the room beckons him to find the source and consume, at minimum, fifty cups to get through the day. </p><p>It must be a little before seven when he finally wrestles off the strip of the blanket he had thrown over his stomach at some point in the night, rolling off his side of the bed as silently as he can muster. His phone confirms his suspicions, the little analogue clock rearranging the numbers into the new hour. A small sense of pride wells in Taichi’s chest to know he had been right. </p><p>He fishes through his duffel bag for the first pair of sweatpants, slipping them up and over his thighs swiftly. He spares a glance back over his shoulder, to make sure he hasn’t yet disturbed his roommate—No, wait, his <em> boyfriend— </em>and lets out a relieved sigh when Koushirou seems no less awake.</p><p>He grimaces a moment later when the bedroom door <em> squeaks </em> upon opening, and practically <em> howls </em>when he pulls it back towards himself on the other side, trying his best to be careful. He considers letting the door sit where it is, so as not to test fate by sealing it closed, but Taichi frowns. He can already hear cluttering down the hallway, where he remembers passing through the kitchen last night. Of course Koushirou would hear any bits of conversation or clattering of items with the door opened and so he makes sure to listen for the dead bolt to click into place, keeping the one barrier between Koushirou and sleep fastened tightly. </p><p>Without the resistance of their bedroom door, the scent of coffee is far more pervasive. Taichi takes a deep, indulgent breath in where he stands and it is enough to feel just that little more awake. He hums in anticipation, following the fragrance all the way down the hallway and into the kitchen where the coffee pot greets him with the chatter of promise. </p><p>Someone has hoisted themselves onto the counter adjacent, kneeling just in front of an army of mugs placed beside them. Taichi just about offers his services when they bounce back to the hardwood floors and he recognizes Koushirou’s mother, smiling as she notices him.</p><p>“Did you sleep well?” Kae wonders, her demeanor disarmingly cheerful for the time of morning. She closes the cabinet door she had just been rummaging through, another coffee cup in her hands.</p><p>Taichi only hums. It’s simpler than telling her, “Your son is too pretty for my health and I spent the whole night contemplating my life’s choices, thanks.” </p><p>Behind her the coffee machine sputters and hisses, reminding him of why he had come here in the first place.</p><p>“Would you like some?” she asks. Taichi counts the cups already sitting out and surmises there must be enough for almost every member of the family. Kae places the mug she had hazarded out of the cabinet onto the counter among it’s kin. It proudly exclaims, “You’re Stressing Meowt,” around a little silhouette of a cartoon cat. </p><p>Taichi smiles at the image before he remembers to say, “Yes, please!”</p><p>“It’s only going to be black for now,” she warns him, checking on the machine. It looks more than halfway to the full line point and so Taichi waits on the edge of the kitchen, teetering from one foot to the next, not sure if he should retire himself to the living room and stay out of her hair. </p><p>But Kae smiles back at him and asks, “How was your drive in last night? Masami says you boys got in pretty late.” </p><p>“It was pretty late,” Taichi reasserts. His fingers catch an edge of the countertop where the stiff, wallpaper-like overlay hasn’t been properly cut away, running his hand back and forth along it, watching as it springs back to the center after every pull or push. He remembers when his family had similar counters back home, a sickly yellow that always clashed with the faded blue backsplash up until the apartment complex renovated all the units with marble slabs instead. Taichi kind of likes how it looks in the cabin—<em> rustic, </em>comes to mind again as he flicks at the paper. It’s a nice light green, blending kindly into the accent wallpaper between the counter and the walls, where odd little cows graze on a grassy pasture with blue skies and puffy white clouds. He remembers to add in, “The drive was fine,” when she tilts her head, still waiting on the answer. </p><p>“Good to hear,” she says, still smiling brightly. The kitchen falls silent. Kae perks up at the lack of noise, and turns her focus back on the now full carafe and takes it from the hot plate. Little bits of liquid pass through the top and sizzle on the burner in its absence. She pours the dark liquid into each of the cups on the counter, humming a tune Taichi can’t quite place. Over her back sun leaks in through the kitchen window, sifting through her hair as she dips back and forth over her work, making the edges of every strand appear more blonde than he knows them to be. </p><p>Kae hands him the cat mug he had been admiring earlier. Taichi accepts it with the highest level of gratitude he can muster. He doesn’t have the patience, or state of mind, to wait, already tipping back his first sip. It burns the tip of his tongue and tastes <em> awful </em>without the sweetness of sugar to chase out the bitter notes, but Taichi already feels the effects. It’s a shame coffee always smells better than it tastes. </p><p>“Would you—” Kae starts, then pauses, her fingers already around a second cup. Taichi beckons her to continue. “Would you mind taking this to my sister-in-law?” she holds up the mug briefly before settling it back on the counter. “I was going to bring Masami’s to him in bed,” she says, a sweet, rosey color tinting her cheeks as she admits it. “But Keiko’s waiting for it on the front deck and I—”</p><p>“No worries,” Taichi pushes through quickly, taking the mug off the counter. His heart sings at the prospect of being useful, even for such a small task. It isn’t quite a new feeling, but he wonders if it’s in no small part a vague desire for redempedation, for the trickery he has and will play on them in the coming week. The thought settles thick and hot in his stomach, like a full pot of coffee. He swallows. “I was going to take mine out there, too,” he tells her, sheepishly. </p><p>Kae beams at him. It could rival the sun, he thinks. </p><hr/><p>Keiko is as boisterous as Taichi had gathered from Koushirou’s briefing of the events yesterday. She calls him over with an enthusiastic waving motion over the brim of her wide sun hat and a bright, “Taichi!” before the screen door can even shut. </p><p>He drops the ceramic cup onto the glass countertop in front of her, frightened for only a moment that he might have cracked something. She simply smiles up at him. Dark black hair curls around her ears from beneath her hat, and even in the shade of it Tacihi can tell she’s as pale as the rest of the Izumi’s he’s been familiar with. Though her eyes are covered in thick, dark sunglasses, Taichi can feel the bright intensity of her gaze on him. </p><p>It’s much cooler out here, than in the city, but it is still so damn <em> muggy. </em>Taichi considers taking his coffee out to the dock where he can dip his feet into the lake. He hadn’t noticed it at all last night, in the dark, but under the sun the polished wood is bright, the structure swaying peacefully over the quiet ripples of the lake stirred only by a slight breeze. </p><p>As if sensing his defection, Keiko pats the cushion beside her and urges Taichi to, “Take a seat!” And as if it will help anything she adds, “I don’t bite!” </p><p>Which is always so very welcoming.</p><p>Taichi casts a forlorn glance at the lake, already missing the feel of the water around his skin, and takes the proffered seat instead. </p><p>“I’m Keiko,” she says. “Koushirou’s aunt.” Taichi doesn’t know how to answer, since she already seems to know his name, but he offers it up anyway. “Of course you are,” she says, lightly touching a hand to his shoulder. He suspects she’s been out here for a while now, yet her fingers are still cool where they graze his skin. “I’m so glad I’m finally meeting you,” she gushes. </p><p>She says it in a way that sounds like it’s been months, or years, and not just a little over a week since Koushirou started the ruse. Before Taichi became a part of it. He keeps his mouth pressed together, almost afraid that any syllable left uncheck might be a giveaway, that he could possibly be speaking every thought aloud. In contrast her smile is long and exuberant, colored brightly in a shade of red that reminds Taichi of Koushirou’s hair and he wishes he were up and out here with him, if for nothing more than in camaraderie of their shared secret. </p><p>Taichi downs a longer sip of coffee. It’s a mistake, the liquid far too hot for consumption still that it burns his throat all the down. Keiko takes her own mug from the table and blows across the top of it for a moment, before gracefully taking her own sip. If it is still too hot, she shows no signs. Taichi frowns at his lap. </p><p>“Is Koushirou still asleep?” she wonders. This time she does not look directly at him, her face down into her own cup. She seems, somehow, small and it feels uncharacteristic in the short time he has known her. Taichi just nods. “What time did you boys make it in last night?” </p><p>“Late,” Taichi offers at first. He takes another gulp of coffee and specifies, “Sometime after one, I think?” He’s glad she must not have heard the door slamming last night, when they’d first come in.</p><p>She frowns at him. “What time did you leave yesterday?” </p><p>They’re very innocent questions, Taichi reminds himself, but more than one feels like an interrogation. His eyes focus on the lake. There’s an unopened umbrella sitting in a hole in the center of the table, obscuring part of the view. He almost thinks to open it, but somehow feels like it will be an admission of guilt. Which is just <em> ridiculous.  </em></p><p>He should have stayed in bed. Taichi’s heart prickles, wondering if Koushirou would have greeted him with a tired, little smile, and contemplates if it would be weird to just go back now, and take a nap. </p><p>Instead he answers, “After dinner. But they, uh, shutdown two lanes of traffic for a huge accident.” </p><p>“No!” Keiko gasps. Taichi stiffens for a moment—<em> this is it </em>—but Keiko just watches him, her mouth partially slack open in horror as she asks, “Neither of you were hurt, right?”</p><p><em> Oh. </em>His leg bounces just under the table. “No, we, uh, just hit the backend of the traffic. So everything was down to one lane for miles.”</p><p>“Koushirou must have loved that,” she huffs out a laugh. “I bet he just typed away every hour of it.” </p><p>“He drove the whole time,” Taichi tells her. </p><p>Keiko stares at him from behind her shades. He thinks he can see her eyes, blinking at him, stricken by this information. Just as quickly she recovers, leaning against the table with another long smile, a single finger lifted over it as if she’s whispering something conspiratorial to him. “Koushirou must<em> really </em> love you,” is not what he expects.</p><p>“I don’t—” he tries, not really sure what the proper response should be in this scenario. Is it, “Thank you”? A, “I don’t know”? Does he say, “I really love him, too”? He can barely think with his heart pounding aggressively in his chest, all the blood in his body pooling to his head but none of it actually coming to the aid of his brain.</p><p>“Oh, Taichi,” Keiko coos, her lips curling upward even more. She presses the red of them together and tells him, “You look like a cooked lobster!” </p><p>He’s ready to scream like one, too.</p><p>The screen door opens just about then, Kae ducking out from behind it. She looks at them both questiongly for a moment, before she tells them, “I’m heading off to the store. Does anyone want anything?”</p><p>“Breakfast!” Keiko shouts, standing up from the table immediately. “Let me get you some money.” </p><p>“That won’t be necessary,” Kae starts as her sister-in-law passes by her to get back inside. She sends Taichi a fond, exasperated smile. He knows now where Koushirou picked up the habit from. Her expression fades to a more concerned one as she takes in what Taichi presumes to be his still red face. “Are you getting burnt already? If you need sunblock there’s some in the little basket by the couch, okay?”</p><p>“I’m fine,” he manages. His heart doesn’t seem to take the cue and settle down, but on the bright side the breeze that passes over them feels much cooler than it had before. </p><p>He leans forward into his hand and stares down the lake. <em> Koushirou loves you, </em>is something he has only ever dreamed of hearing someone else say. It feels surreal, even when he reminds himself that it is, in fact, not real. </p><p>“Bring back something you think everyone will want,” he hears Keiko instructing Kae a moment later. He looks over to see the darker haired woman shoving a wad of bills into Kae’s purse, smiling proudly. “Should be enough for some groceries, too!”</p><p>“It’s no problem—”</p><p>“It’s <em> my </em>treat,” Keiko insists, coming back to sit beside Taichi on the deck. </p><p>“How about you, Taichi?” Kae asks. A moment later she clarifies, “Is there anything you want me to pick up for you?”</p><p>“Oh, uhm,” Taichi starts. Grocery shopping isn’t exactly high on his activity list, but he does need something to eat later, and so he asks, “Can I actually come with you?”</p><p>Kae looks taken aback. He wonders if no one usually offers. “Are you sure? You’re welcome to stay here.”</p><p>“Nah it’s fine,” he insists standing up. “I can help load the car, too.” He offers up his best attempt at a grin and watches as Kae’s shoulder’s droop, her smile back at him grateful. “Just let me get dressed.”</p><p>“I’ll start the car!”</p><hr/><p>Koushirou is still fast asleep when Taichi opens the door to their shared living quarters. He breathes in slowly, almost fearful that any quick gasps of air might disturb him into waking. This time Taichi keeps the door just ever slightly ajar so he won’t have to shut it more than once and digs through his things. With more light to aid him, it’s easier to find a more presentable shirt and jeans.</p><p>He’s reaching for his wallet off the nightstand where he had left it, when he notices the pair of dark eyes quistively watching him. “Morning,” he whispers, leaning over the comforter and resting his head on his crossed arms. “Did I wake you?” he wonders, but Koushirou merely shakes his head. </p><p>He does, in fact, send Taichi a small, still sleepy smile, his eyes barely able to keep open. Instead of words all Taichi receives is a grunt, which he chooses to read as a <em> Good Morning </em> back. </p><p>“I’m going to the store with your mother,” Taichi informs him. Koushirou blinks. He wonders if it’s a form of morse code that he was supposed to learn before coming here. “Did you want to come?” </p><p>Koushirou groans.</p><p>Taichi smiles into his elbow, poking Koushirou on the cheek with his other hand. “Is that a no?”</p><p>Koushirou huffs back at him, throwing the duvet over his face. </p><p>“Okay,” he laughs. “Did you want me to pick you up anything?”</p><p>This time he gets no response and Taichi pats the only tuft of red still poking out from beneath the covers. “Have a good nap,” he tells Koushirou. He makes sure to actually grab his wallet this time and place it in his back pocket before heading out to meet with Kae. </p><hr/><p>It is only after Kae pulls out of the driveway that Taichi realizes his mistake. </p><p>In all the years of his friendship with Koushirou there have of course been pockets of time when Taichi has been alone with his mother. With a movie playing in the background; at a dinner table; waiting for everyone else outside of the bathroom at the movies, or the zoo, or museums. Places where there was something to talk about, or activities to pass the time. </p><p>Back then, he’d simply been Koushirou’s best friend. But now, he was supposed to be his boyfriend. He hadn’t given any thought to how heavy that title would feel until it was sitting between them. </p><p>For miles there is nothing but dirt and trees. Taichi watches them silently, trying to memorize any specific characteristics in case he has to roll out of the car and escape. </p><p>“You’re awfully quiet,” Kae comments on a short laugh. It might be his imagination, but maybe she’s just as nervous as he is. </p><p>Taichi takes a deep breath in but nothing telling really comes to mind so he simply says, “Yeah,” as they pull out onto a main road. He assumes there’s nothing on the radio, and he’s too afraid to ask if she has any tapes or CDs. </p><p>He touches his forehead to the cool glass of the passenger seat. Down the road a family of balloons wave at him, several blue and one gold, ruffled by the wind generated by the cars speeding past it. Each of them are anchored to the earth by one of those signs Taichi associates with wet floors. He squints as they come up on it, a vibrantly printed sign pasted on the front. <em>Fun! Rides! Prizes!, </em>it promises him with a prominent display of a ferris wheel set in the background. A carnival, he assumes, as their own car whizzes by too fast to read the whole thing. </p><p>“I’m glad you could make it on such short notice,” Kae continues after another round of silence. </p><p>“I don’t really have anything to do until school starts back up. But, uh, thank you for letting me come,” he mentions, feeling his cheeks heating up. His mother would be disappointed he waited so long to say it, but Taichi’s always had trouble with <em> timing. </em>“And for being, uh,” he thinks about the shared room, of Koushirou’s sleeping face under the moonlight and feels his cheeks heat up as he decides on the word, “Open. About everything.”</p><p>“Oh,” is all Kae says for a while, puckering her lips. “That’s—you don’t have to...” She makes a soft noise in the back of her throat, but anything she means to add to the conversation seems to trail off there. </p><p>Taichi doesn’t recognize any of the names on the store fronts when they pull up to a small-scale mall. He suspects the main grocers are probably a local chain judging by the signage and coupons laying in the outside crates. He grabs one out of curiosity on their way in, skimming down through the non-perishable section. There’s a sale on cereal, he notes wryly. He had half expected their outing to be at some farmer’s market, but he’s both disappointed and grateful it’s not the case. </p><p>Kae wipes down the handle of a cart, pulling it away from the rest with a quick tug. She finishes wiping off her own hands before throwing the soiled towelette away in the nearby receptacle and smiling at him. “I’m going to grab the dry items first,” she explains, pointing towards the far end of the store. “You’re welcome to look around on your own,” she offers. “It’s a small store so we shouldn’t get too lost.”</p><p>“Oh,” Taichi says. “Sure.”</p><p>Kae beams at him. </p><p>He hates to think of it as relief, the moment Kae disappears down one of the far aisles, but it can’t be anything else. It feels nice to be relatively alone for a moment. </p><p>Taichi takes his own hand basket and peruses the aisles leiserously. He’s used to the stores in the city, where it’s generally ten people to a cramped aisle <em> on weekdays, </em> but here it feels like he could wander the whole store and only ever see two other people. It’s <em> nice. </em>He takes his time in the easily prepared meal section, pulling out a few microwave meals and sprinkles some junk food into the cart as well. In the drink aisle he grabs a few options of almost fluorescent colored sports drinks and pauses for a moment where he’s crouched. </p><p>Just to the left of his fingers is the shelf stable tea drinks. Taichi considers them for a moment, and then grabs several of the tall bottles of <em> Oolong. </em>They’re heavy, weighing down his basket and almost knocking him over onto the hard tiled floor as he tries to stand back up straight. </p><p>He only runs into Kae when he’s waiting behind the only other person in the store, at the only open register. She pulls up right behind him with her shopping cart <em> brimming </em>with groceries. </p><p>“Find everything okay?” She asks brightly, placing a few of the items right behind his on the conveyor belt. </p><p>“Yep,” he answers, placing one of the dividers between their items and then helping her with the rest of her stuff. Taichi has never seen this many groceries before in his life. She must have taken half the store’s stock of eggs alone. He’s glad he decided to come and help. </p><p>By the time the person in front of them has finished up both his purchases and friendly chat with the clerk, they’ve already unloaded the entire cart. Taichi tries not to look surprised that they all fit, even with his own still up there. Kae slides past him elegantly, standing in front of the cashier and Taichi feels his shoulders stiffen. He doesn’t know how to remind her that he’s next. She doesn’t seem to notice either when the clerk starts scanning all the items he’d grabbed, just smiling and making polite conversation about how lovely the day has been, how bright the sun is. </p><p>As the clerk notices the divider at the end of his personal items, Taichi takes a step closer to pay, but Kae waves at her and says, “Sorry, we’re together.”</p><p>Taichi stares as she starts handing him back the already filled bags of his groceries, telling him to put them in the cart. “I—” he starts when Kae moves to give him another bag. “I have money,” he mentions, sheepishly. He taps the wallet in his back pocket, ready to relinquish a couple of dollars on her just as Keiko had done, but Kae snorts at his words like he has told a rather well-timed joke. </p><p>“Nonsense,” she tells him. “You’re our guest this week.” When she grabs for the last of his now bagged items, she gently pulls out one of the bottles of <em> Oolong, </em>staring at the label quizzically. “I didn’t know you liked this drink.” </p><p>“Can’t stand it,” he admits. Just the thought of it coats his tongue with an unpleasant memory. Kae looks taken aback for a moment before her face brightens with a grin and she hands him off the bag. </p><p>“He’ll be happy,” she tells him quietly.</p><p>Taichi watches the numbers on the register go higher and higher, like it’s competing to match his pulse. The clerk smiles pleasantly at him when their eyes meet by accident and she asks him about his day. All he can manage is, “Fine,” and feels like that’s a lie. He hates to think it’s becoming a habit now. </p><p>“You’re so helpful, Taichi,” Kae gushes as they finish loading up the car. He can’t read a single flippant motive in her expression as they slip into their respective seats.</p><p>“Can I get that in writing?” he jokes. He slips on the buckle of his seat belt and to her questioning gaze answers, “My mom wouldn’t believe it from anyone but you. She’s always raving about the way you raised Koushirou. Since he’s so polite.”</p><p>Kae colors a little under the praise, but the corners of her lips seem unable to settle. Instead she places a hand on the back of his seat and watches the back window over her arm as she pulls out of the parking spot. On habit, Taichi turns and looks along with her. </p><p>Even though there’s no other cars on the road in either direction, Kae hesitates for a while at the end of the parking lot. The only bit of her expression Taichi can read with her sunglasses flipped back down over her eyes is the puckering of her lips, the white of her knuckles as she holds the steering wheel unnecessarily tight. </p><p>“Do—” she hesitates longer. Taichi waits. “Do your parents—know? About you and Koushirou?”</p><p>Taichi whips his gaze forward at that, the same stiffness returning to his shoulders. Kae turns out of the parking lot and back down the road they had been on probably about an hour ago. </p><p>“No,” he finally manages. His knee bounces on the carpeted floor, his eyes darting towards his side of the road. It’s barely a different view than before. </p><p>“Oh,” she says back. Kae lets out a long breath— an almost contented sounding sigh. Then a moment later she seems to startle and wonders quickly, “Would they be— your parents wouldn’t—?”</p><p>“Oh, no!” Taichi realizes, waving his hands as if to dispel the very thought. “My parents are fine, I just, uh. We thought—” he breathes in, trying to remember what Koushirou had said to him yesterday and explains, “Koushirou and I thought it would be better to wait, before telling anyone. In case it didn’t work out, you know. It's, uh, a big change."</p><p>He doesn’t tell her it’s not meant to work. Taichi looks up to the bright blue of the sky and lets out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding onto, his head thumping back against the seat. All at once it feels like a day's worth of fatigue has been dropped on him.</p><p>“But they know I,” he swallows. It feels weird coming out to someone else’s parent, even if they are his supposed boyfriend’s. “That I also like guys.” </p><p>Kae thumps a hand over her heart and lets out a very winded, “Oh, good,” as she relaxes further back into her own seat. Taichi watches her curiously. Kae catches his gaze and smiles back at him sheepishly. “I’m sorry,” she says, sparring him another quick glance before watching the road again. </p><p>"Koushirou said the same thing, but you know how he can be… I thought it was to spare our feelings, that maybe he didn't feel comfortable with <em> us </em> ," she wrings her hands on the steering wheel again. "Then I wondered if perhaps it was <em> your </em> family situation and I just wanted you to know, you're always welcome in our family." </p><p>She smiles at him quickly, something apologetic and welcoming. "I'm sorry," she repeats, softer, "that we made you two share it with us before you were ready." </p><p>Taichi looks down at his hands. “It’s alright.” </p><p>“I am glad it was you,” Kae admits to him. Her smile is only sweet now, lacking in anything facetious, when she turns it on him briefly. “You’ve always been like family,” she adds in. The admission makes his heart sing, his head dizzy as the words spin around it. “And Koushirou always seems much happier with you around, Taichi. You’re a good influence.”</p><p>“Now <em> that </em>I will definitely need in writing.”</p><p>Kae laughs. </p><hr/><p>They stop at a small diner somewhere near their turn back to the cabin. Kae orders several helpings of pancakes and grits and eggs to take back and Taichi’s stomach growls in anticipation. She takes the bag of food with her as soon as she turns off the engine, right back in her parking spot at the cabin. Taichi meets her around the back of the trunk, the whole thing lifting at once with a click of a button. </p><p>Taichi's arms are already sagging with the weight of one too many bags when a new face pokes around the edge of the car and offers, "Can I help?" </p><p>"Oh," Kae startles, pulling a few bags of her own out the trunk, "that would be very sweet of you, Kousuke!" </p><p>“You must be Taichi,” <em> Kousuke </em> says, staring up at him consideringly. After a moment he decides, "You're not what I was expecting." </p><p>"Sorry," is all Taichi can muster under the other's gaze. Kousuke's blue eyes remind him of Yamato's, deep and scrutinizing. A breeze passes between them, disturbing the shadows across the ground from the trees above their head. The plastic handles slip along his fingers, digging in and burning his skin.</p><p>"Don't be," Kousuke finally says, stepping around Taichi and accepting a few bags from Kae. He doesn't expand on either comment, heading back to the cabin with nothing more than an acknowledging nod back in Taichi's direction.</p><p>
  <em> Great start.  </em>
</p><p>Taichi traces the same path back to the cabin, eyes watching the dirt and pebbles as he walks. All he needs now is to trip and faceplant. He makes it to the stairs where Keiko greets him, all wide smiles. </p><p>"You can leave them right here," she tells Taichi, pointing to the top step. As he places the first one down, Keiko takes it up, humming on her way back into the kitchen. Taichi deposits the rest of his load, then turns back to check if there’s more. </p><p>Behind him, Taichi hears a set of footsteps quicken to meet up with him. Masami taps him with the full weight of his palm onto Taichi's shoulder saying, "You boys sure got in late last night." </p><p>He knows Koushirou's father well enough to read his words at face value and not the deadpan delivery of his tone, but Taichi still feels his stomach twist, his nerves walking on a tightrope over a volcano. </p><p>"Yeah," he agrees. "Sorry you had to wait up for us," he adds.</p><p>Masami hums, falling easily into step beside Taichi. "Wanted to make sure someone was up. In case you boys hit some trouble." </p><p>Taichi doesn't really know what to say to that so he settles on a simple, "Yeah." </p><p>Like a goddess of mercy, Kae passes them not a moment later. "You should be able to finish between you two," she relays, dropping the keys into her husband's hand. "I'll see you inside!" </p><p>She is right. Taichi's second load is considerably less, and with Masami they're able to clear out the entire trunk. Taichi drops his own bags to the dirt to help close the door as Masami locks it up.</p><p>Their walk back is silent. Masami takes the stairs first and heads directly into the kitchen. Taichi hesitates on the stoop. </p><p>It is odd, he decides. Taichi's never really felt uncomfortable around Koushirou's parents before. During soccer season Masami even humors him, keeping the sport's channel on in the mornings whenever Taichi spends the night, pretending he cares enough to know the player’s by name and number even when he can never seem to remember their positions.</p><p>Nothing has changed. Not <em> really </em> . He doesn't think either of them have changed in any case, but it just feels <em> different.  </em></p><p>Or maybe, it <em> should </em>be different. He doesn't really know.</p><p>"Is this the last of it?"</p><p>Taichi looks up. Koushirou stares back down at him from the top of the stairs, curiously, reaching out a hand to offer his assistance. Wind ruffles his hair lovingly, sun brushing gently through his fiery locks. Thoughtlessly, Taichi transfers over several of the bags. His skin feels warm beneath Taichi's palm for the briefest of moments. The shirt he’s slipped on is dark, a lovely compliment to his skin. Taichi wonders if he’ll get any color this week, other than sunburned. <em> Unlikely, </em>he knows. </p><p>"Morning sleepyhead," he manages in jest, hopping over the last step to follow Koushirou inside. He levels Taichi with a quick glare over his shoulder. </p><p>Behind them the screen door snaps back shut, but no one else in the kitchen pays it any mind. Kae and Masami are filling the shelves easily between the two of them, skirting around each other as if it were a practiced dance. </p><p>Koushirou drops the bags he'd taken from Taichi onto the counter, some of the items spilling out along the surface. Taichi follows suit, pulling a full bag of onions out and frowns. He looks around the kitchen, but there’s no indication of where the produce should go and there’s not enough room with the four of them to start opening every cabinet in the hopes he’ll find a clear sign. </p><p>Koushirou bumps against his side momentarily. Taichi freezes, even though he feels warm, right against him. "You've helped enough," he tells Taichi, his voice low and airy. "Procure some breakfast before my cousin comes back and devours it." </p><p>It's an out, he supposes. Taichi smiles graciously and takes it. </p><hr/><p>Taichi takes his plate back outside to the deck table where the only evidence of other people is the constant clattering of cabinet doors and small echoes of chatter let out through the screen window to his back. He cuts off a piece of one of his pancakes with the flat edge of his fork and even though it’s completely saturated in syrup, he still runs it through one of the amber puddles on his plate. Pancakes are, afterall, just a vessel for syrup.</p><p>Even as the sun ascends above him, beating down directly atop the crown of Taichi’s head, it is unarguably cooler out here than within the city limits of Odaiba.Taichi doesn't mind this type of heat, when a trickle of a breeze rolls through, the crisp scent of the outdoors and lake water riding past. He can breathe a little more easily here. </p><p>The coffee he had abandoned before his trek out to the store with Kae sits still in front of him. Taichi contemplates going back inside for milk or sugar, or to even pour the whole thing out for a fresh cup, but he decides better on it and takes a large gulp of the dark liquid. Even under the bearance of the sun, it has somehow cooled down, a decent enough temperature on his already scalded tongue. </p><p>"Let me get that for you, mom." Taichi thinks the voice sounds like Koushirou's aunt. His guess is proven correct when he can see Keiko's bright pink hat through the dark screen of the door, her back holding it open. </p><p>"Oh, don't fuss," another woman says. Despite her words, she sounds in no way as if she is scolding Keiko. Taichi recognizes Koushirou's grandmother, from a few dinners at the Izumi's household. He still remembers when she had first come over, telling Taichi he could call her, "Grandma," as well, if he was going to be part of the family’s festivities. </p><p>He wonders blithely if the invitation is open to ersatz boyfriends.</p><p>"Do you mind if mom joins you?" Keiko asks Taichi, sweetly, already dropping the other woman's plate onto the table across from him. </p><p>Taichi can't say <em> no, </em>so he settles on a rigid, "Sure." </p><p>"Good morning, Taichi," Grandma greets him, taking the already designated seat. Her head barely obscures the view behind her. Taichi remembers when Koushirou had once been shorter than her and hides his snort of laughter between a healthy bite of eggs. </p><p>"Isn't it pretty?" Grandma asks him, positioning herself in the chair to look back towards the lake. Wind plays with the curls of her pepper gray hair, a long, pleased smile crossing her lips. </p><p>"Sure is," Taichi breathes. She is, surprisingly, a calm presence, but Taichi still feels the prickle of nerves tip toeing across his shoulders. He hadn't considered the possibility of lying to <em> Grandma.  </em></p><p>The door slams shut again.</p><p>"Where are you going, Kousuke?" Grandma asks, frowning. </p><p>"For a swim," he tells her. Taichi wonders if he's struggling to not tack on a <em> duh </em>, as he motions to his bathing suit with the hefty beach towel draped over his shoulders.</p><p>Grandma purses her lips. "You'll get a cramp if you swim after eating." </p><p>"I'll be careful," he promises, already racing down the steps for the beach. </p><p>The temperature seems to rise for a moment, as if goading Taichi to take a swim himself. It sounds inviting right now. He cuts off the last piece of his pancake and runs it through the sticky, dried syrup clinging to his plate still. </p><p>"It's a common myth," a more familiar voice pipes up. Taichi smiles at Koushirou as he wrestles his own way out the door, both of his hands filled. He squeezes between the wall and Taichi’s chair, placing his own plate on the table and one of the large bottles of <em> Oolong </em>tea. “Statistically it’s improbable he’ll drown on just a full stomach alone.”</p><p>“Oh,” Grandma starts, perking up as Koushirou drops into the seat beside Taichi, “are you joining us?” </p><p>Koushirou looks caught at the suggestion, his fingers hesitating where he was uncapping the bottle of his drink. “Taichi is my guest,” he answers simply, before wrestling the cap off and taking a long sip. </p><p>Grandma settles him with a long, pointed stare before returning her attention back to the lake, where Kousuke has already divested himself of his sandals and towel on the small strip of sand. </p><p>Koushirou plops part of his egg atop one of the already cut pieces of pancake. “It all digests the same way,” he attests without even looking back at Taichi, taking another egregiously prepared bite. </p><p>“But it doesn’t all taste the same going down,” Taichi argues even knowing it’s a waste of breath. Instead he takes his own fork and cuts off a portion of Koushirou’s still intact pancake, sliding it along the syrup on his own plate and popping it into his mouth. </p><p>Koushirou levels him with a second half-hearted glare for the day, even as he takes another sip of his drink. When he caps it back on the table, he tells Taichi, “Mom says you acquired these on my behalf.” </p><p>“Yeah,” he says intelligently. “Thought you might want them.” He adds, “She bought them, though.”</p><p>“Nevertheless, I appreciate the thought,” Koushirou tells him. “You indubitably <em> are </em>the world’s most superlative,” he pauses there, dark eyes flickering upwards, to their audience of one and finishes simply with, “boyfriend.” </p><p>And <em> oh. </em>Taichi likes the sentence when it doesn’t come with the extra adjective for their relationship. He almost pokes himself in the eye with his fork, when he clamps a hand over his mouth when his grin refuses to temper itself. Grandma meets his gaze where he’s trained it back towards the lake, her smile knowing and sincere. He really hopes his face isn’t as red as it feels. </p><p>“You’re welcome,” he manages. </p><p>Koushirou hums, still working slowly on his breakfast. As revenge, Taichi swipes another piece of plain pancake off his plate much to the other’s chagrin. </p><p>“What are your plans for the rest of the day?” Grandma wonders, turning back in her chair and digging into her own food. </p><p>Taichi chews consideringly on his stolen meal. “I might hit the lake,” he decides.</p><p>“And risk cramps?” Koushirou asks wryly.</p><p>“Grandma will save me,” Taichi says. Across the beach, Kousuke cannonballs off the dock, the splash making its way to even Taichi’s ears. When Grandma doesn’t deny the possibility Taichi pushes, “Bet she could carry me and Kousuke back to shore single handedly.” </p><p>Koushirou snorts. Grandma levels him with a bemused look as she cuts a piece of egg herself. </p><p>Taichi takes another pancake piece and wonders, “What do you usually do on these vacations?”</p><p>“Sit inside,” Koushirou tells him, predictably. “Work.” </p><p>“You should come to the lake with me,” Taichi insists, leaning in a little closer until their shoulders bump. “You mentioned a kayak, right? We could take that out. I paddle, you work.” </p><p>Koushirou stares at him. Taichi shrugs. </p><p>“I’m not risking getting my laptop drenched.” </p><p>“What about without your laptop?”</p><p>“Improbable.”</p><p>“I’ll get you on the lake this week,” Taichi promises with a toothy grin. His eyes fall back on the glittering water and he doesn’t quite understand how someone could ignore the call of it, especially in this heat. If anyone can, he supposes, it would be Koushirou. <em> Treat me as any other partner you’ve had </em>slips through his mind and so he tacks on, “Babe,” nudging Koushirou’s elbow with his own. </p><p>Taichi hums when nothing else is said to his proclamation. Still, Koushirou says nothing. When Taichi looks over he’s already staring into the far off distance, somewhere between the treeline of the neighbor’s yard.</p><p>“What’s up?” Taichi asks, nudging against him once more. </p><p>Koushirou startles. “I,” he begins, pressing his lips together for a moment. “Nothing,” he says, gaze slowly trailing back to where it had been shortly before. “I thought I had spotted a painted turtle.” He points briefly in the direction, to the strip of lake still visible between the trees. </p><p>“Oh?” Taichi squints, but sees nothing. “If you take out the kayak with me, we could meet your friend.”</p><p>“I’d prefer not.”</p><p>“Oh, go swimming, Koushirou,” Grandma puts in. </p><p>“See?” Taichi says. “Grandma’s on my side. I’m sure she could pull you to shore, too.”</p><p>“I take back my last assessment,” Koushirou decides, taking a rather large bite of his pancake, his eyes narrowed at Taichi. “You are the <em> worst.” </em></p><p>Taichi leans back in his chair, pulling his legs up to rest heavily against the edge of the table and feels his grin pull tighter. “I try my best.”</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The first draft was only 4K and now it's 7K lmao<br/>Also I meant to update Bring the Sun first, but the next chapter is already 10K and I have like, 7 more scenes that are begging to be written rip me<br/>Keiko and Kousuke are tehcnically fashioned after characters from another show because I used to joke with a friend who also liked taishiro that Kousuke was his cousin because they have similar names and I am too lazy to come up with more than one new character i'm sorry. they're personalities aren't nec. the same tho.<br/>Originally I planned to make each chapter one day and then it got super long and I figured editing a smaller (laughs) chapter would mean faster updates so some days might be full chapters and some might be split up.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i've made peace with the fact this will probably be self indulgent garbage i'm sorry</p></blockquote></div></div>
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